Qatar has pledged to invest $10 billion in India across multiple sectors, the two nations announced in a joint statement on Tuesday following the visit of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to New Delhi.
During his two-day visit, the Emir met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House on February 18, 2025. Modi described their discussions as “very productive,” emphasizing the significance of trade in their talks.
“Trade featured prominently in our talks. We want to increase and diversify India-Qatar trade linkages,” Modi stated in a post on X. This marked the first visit by a Qatari Emir to India in a decade.
According to the statement, Qatar’s $10 billion investment will span infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, food security, logistics, hospitality, and other critical sectors.
Both nations have set a target to double their annual trade to $28 billion over the next five years. Additionally, they are exploring the possibility of signing a free trade agreement, the Indian foreign ministry confirmed.
Bilateral trade between India and Qatar stood at $18.77 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2023, with liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Qatar forming a major component. Qatar supplied over 48% of India’s LNG imports during that period.
The two sides also committed to strengthening bilateral energy cooperation, including mutual investments in energy infrastructure. Furthermore, they are considering the settlement of bilateral trade transactions in their respective national currencies.